Clement built his belief on the thesis that Christ was
the Source that enlightened the hearts and minds of wise
men. all through the ages. Therefore, heathen philosophers
were to be viewed with kindliness. When Christ came into
the world. He did so to free men from sin, lead them to a
new kind of wisdom, and finally elevate them to the sublime
position of God's children. Ultimately, in this life and
beyond, the whole human race will attain the perfection
designed for it by the Creator.
Clement possessed all the characteristics of the
talented master: a flashing intellect, a fiery enthusiasm, and
an ever youthful soul. He believed that teaching was a divine
mission, and gave himself wholeheartedly to it. He went as
far as opening his School to all who came, regardless of age
and sex. And the people from all walks of life crowded to
hear him: the rich and learned aristocrats; the women of high
rank, powdered and perfumed; young "ne'er-do-wells",
coming from sheer curiosity, philosophers and rhetoricians.
A medley of a crowd, if ever there was one. A cynic,
looking at such a crowd, might well have declared that it was
void of all good. But Clement could discern the Divine
Spark within each one of them – that spark for whose sake
the Word incarnated. How well did Clement know that most
people, under the semblance of indifference and
sophistication, hid their inward longing after truth. He could
glimpse behind the painted faces, troubled souls; and he
could hear, amid the incessant babble, the unavowed
questions.
The epithets he preferred to use for designating
Christ were: "Teacher" and "Pedagogue". Clement took on
himself to be teacher and pedagogue after the likeness of his
Lord, educating all those who came to him: exhorting the
pagans and convincing them of the baseness of their beliefs,
and the shame of their immoral habits. And to an age which
elle
(Elle)
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